1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ballistic electron surface-emitting device (BSD) emitter, a field emission display (FED) using the BSD emitter, and a field emission-type backlight device using the BSD emitter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Displays play an important role in information and media delivery and are widely used in personal computer monitors and television sets. Displays are usually either cathode ray tubes (CRTs) which use high speed thermal electron emission or flat panel displays, which are rapidly developing. The types of flat panel displays include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), field emission displays (FEDs), and others.
In FEDs, when a strong electric field is applied between a gate electrode and emitters arranged at a predetermined distance on a cathode electrode, electrons are emitted from the emitters and collide with fluorescent materials on the anode electrode, thus emitting light. Thus, FEDs are displays that form an image using electrons of a cold cathode as an electron-emitting source. The image qualities of FEDs are highly affected by the characteristics of the emitter, such as the structure and materials, etc.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved design for an emitter and an improved design for an FED using the improved emitter that results in improved image quality. Furthermore, what is needed is a ballistic electron emitter and an FED using the same that can attain stable and uniform electron emission properties.